


Pillow Talk

by waitingforaflame



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Enjoy them!, F/F, Fluff, No angst here, No really they never leave their beds, Pillow Talk, Talking in bed together, You can have a little angst, actually, also: Finn!, as a treat, it's great, pure and utter fluff, there is a little
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:54:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26276743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waitingforaflame/pseuds/waitingforaflame
Summary: Five times Adora and Catra wake each other up, and the one time they're both woken up.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 30
Kudos: 323





	Pillow Talk

**Author's Note:**

> Please enjoy this really fluffy drabble! It's short (for me, okay), it's sweet, and you get some baby Finn goodness! 
> 
> (Speaking of Finn, even though they're a baby/little kid in this, I'm still referring to them with they/them pronouns. It doesn't feel right to gender them otherwise.)
> 
> If you enjoy, please share and leave a comment! I read every single one and it means the world.

There are no windows in the barracks, but Catra can sense that it isn’t morning yet. The room is too quiet. Well, not exactly. Her ears twitch at Lonnie’s muffled snoring a bunk away. Kyle mutters something in his sleep. It’s a different type of quiet. 

Catra groans before she can stop herself. Once she realizes what she’d done, she throws her hands over her mouth and shoots up, looking around to see if anyone had heard her moment of weakness. She fights another groan as she does this, a hand shooting to her back in an attempt to sooth the raging ache in her tailbone. 

A quick scan of the room tells her she’s safe. Everyone’s asleep. Catra sighs and nestles back into her bunk, carefully this time. Thanks to her rashness, the pain in her tailbone has returned with a thriving vengeance. It radiates and heats up her entire back, leaving her in a terrible amount of discomfort. 

Combat practice. She’d misjudged Adora’s attack and paid for it with a sharp blow to her tailbone. Catra knows this type of pain. It’s the kind that’ll leave bruises for weeks. 

She knew better than to react when it happened. After they were dismissed, Adora’s face crumpled into one of horror. The blonde immediately rushed over and tried to gauge how badly she’d hurt her. Catra smiled through the throbbing pain and played it off like it was nothing, reminding Adora that her kicks need work. 

Now, in the glowing green serenity of the barrack, Catra allows herself a moment to crumple. She shifts over to the opposite side, hoping that a change in position will alleviate some of the discomfort. It doesn’t work. 

Catra lets out a short huff, annoyed that sleep is out of the question. Her sulking is cut short when a sleepy voice whispers her name. Was she imagining it?

“Psst. Catra.”

Adora’s awake. Had she heard her groan? Catra’s tail flicks but she ignores it and sinks deeper into her thin mattress. Maybe if she ignores her, Adora will go back to sleep. 

A sharp nudge jabs through her mattress. Catra hisses and dangles upside down so she can glare at Adora. 

Adora grins sleepily. “I knew you were awake. Why didn’t you answer the first time?”

“Because we’re supposed to be sleeping. Go to sleep,” Catra whispers back.

“I can’t sleep when you keep tossing and turning every five seconds.” Adora tilts her head to the side. “Did you have another nightmare?” 

“No,” Catra says, a little too quickly. When Adora’s stare doesn’t relent, Catra frowns and grabs the bed frame so she can swing down onto Adora’s bunk. She lands and sits opposite Adora, crossing her legs. Her back seethes from the effort, but it isn’t unmanageable. Adora doesn’t need to know that she’s hurting. “Just can’t sleep.” 

Adora nods before yawning. “I’ll stay up with you.”

“You don’t have to.” 

“No, I will.” Adora sits up straighter, her eyes blazing with determination. “We can stay up all night, like the soldiers do. It’ll be good practice for when we’re in charge,” she affirms. 

Catra smiles. “You really think we’ll be in charge one day?” The thought seems impossible to her. They’re just kids. All of the force captains tower over them, exuding a confidence and power she can only hope to one day have.

Adora sidles up to her with a carefree grin. “Of course. Our whole squadron will.”

They’re interrupted by Kyle, who screams in his sleep. Catra and Adora watch him, waiting to see if he’ll wake up, but he doesn’t. He returns to sleep with a whimper. 

“Even Kyle?” Catra deadpans.

“Yeah, probably not Kyle.” 

Adora yawns again, glancing longingly at her pillow. Catra catches the look and nudges her friend’s shoulder. “I’m tired now. Can we stay up another night?” she says, because if she doesn’t, Adora will hurt herself trying. 

“Yeah. Good idea.” 

As Adora lays back down, Catra moves to go back to her bunk. She’s stopped when Adora grabs her hand. Catra looks at her questioningly, and Adora smiles. “You can stay, if you want to.” 

Catra blinks, and then nods. She curls up at the foot of Adora’s bed, her back already hurting a little less. 

* * *

Adora wakes up when she feels Catra struggle against her. The feline’s face is scrunched in pain, shiny with sweat. She twitches in her sleep, whimpering and shredding the blanket with her claws. Adora’s seen this enough times in the past few weeks to recognize that Catra’s having a nightmare. 

She springs into action, carefully shaking Catra and calling her name to bring her out of it. It takes a couple of minutes, but it works. Catra’s eyes spring open, wide and unfocused. She gasps for air and shivers against the coolness of Mara’s ship. 

Adora takes Catra in her arms, holding her tight. Catra’s body is rigid against hers. “It’s okay,” she whispers into her hair. “You’re not there anymore. I got you. It’s okay.” Adora repeats it, over and over in different variations until Catra desperately grips her back, shaking. 

“I got you,” Adora says again, bringing a hand into her hair and stroking it gently. “You’re never going back there.” 

“But what if—”

“No. Never.” She wouldn’t let him. She’d fight to protect Catra with every fiber of her being.

“Prime could—”

Adora pulls back and grasps Catra’s face in her hands. “I said no.” 

Catra falters, her eyes darting in uncertainty as she reads Adora’s unwavering glare. Adora’s face doesn’t waver. She holds Catra’s cheeks in her palms, gripping firmly. Minutes pass in silence. It’s so quiet that Adora can hear every one of Catra’s shaky breaths. It takes a while, but once Catra realizes that Adora isn’t going anywhere, she stops shaking. 

“You promise?” Catra whispers, heartbreakingly soft. 

“I promise.” Adora moves her hands so they can lay back down. This is routine by now. The nightmares don’t happen every night, but they come often enough that she knows what to do. Catra wakes up, Adora holds her, and eventually, they go back to sleep. Or they don’t, and they just lay there until Bow calls out that it’s time to eat. 

Tonight, however, Catra faces Adora, not quite ready to attempt sleep. “Do you think I’ll ever stop dreaming about it?” she asks. 

“I don’t know.” Adora rolls over on her back, staring up at the ceiling. “I have nightmares too. About Light Hope. Angella.” She lowers her eyes. “Losing you.” 

She dreams about it more often than she’d like to. Every nightmare starts and ends the same way. With Catra falling off the cliff, and then dying in her arms. She-Ra doesn’t save her in Adora’s nightmares. 

Catra’s brow furrows. Her ears flick upwards, curious. “How come I never catch you having a nightmare?” 

“I don’t know. Usually I snap out of them quickly.” 

“How? Don’t tell me, it’s a special princess trick.”

Adora laughs, a little too loudly for the hour. “It’s not a trick. I just…” Her cheeks grow warm. She’s grateful that the room is dark. “I kind of wake up, see you there and feel better, I guess.”

Clearly, the room isn’t dark enough, because Adora can see Catra’s cheeks flush just as pink as hers. Catra does her best to hide it, immediately scoffing and shoving Adora towards the edge of the bed. “You’re such an idiot,” she says, and the familiarity makes Adora smile. 

“A tired idiot.” Adora closes her eyes, getting into a more comfortable position. “Try not to have any more nightmares, kay?” 

“Whatever.” Catra settles back down. Then she gets up, and points her finger at Adora. “And for the record, none of my nightmares have anything to do with you.” 

“Of course not. That’s what your dreams are for.” 

For this comment, Adora would be treated with various glares and Catra muttering viciously under her breath all throughout the next day. But to see the look on her face when she said it? Completely worth it.

* * *

The war is over. 

Adora lays on her side, propped up on an elbow as she watches Catra sleep. Catra is curled up against her arm, and her breathing is soft, vulnerable. There’s no anger, or frustration on her face. No fear clouding her eyes. Catra just rests, lips parted slightly, while the morning moon casts a purple light that splays across her freckles. 

Bright Moon’s victory party lasted well into the night, but Adora and Catra’s conversation ran even longer. They’re girlfriends now. Both of them snuggled up close to one another in Adora’s bed, holding hands until they drifted off to sleep. For the first time, neither of them had nightmares. 

When the moonlight drifts over Catra’s eyes, she grunts a bit, her nose wrinkling. Adora laughs. She hasn’t watched her sleep like this before. There was no time in the Horde, and they’d still been adjusting on Mara’s ship. 

But they have all the time in the world, now. Sure, there’s probably still things that need to be done. Adora’s sense of urgency gnaws at her nerves, but she doesn’t feel guilty brushing it away. There’s time for that. Right now, she just wants to lay here with Catra. 

After a few minutes, the light is enough to rouse Catra from sleep. She sighs, wrinkling her forehead. “It’s too bright.” 

Melog, who’d been sleeping on the floor, perks up at Catra’s voice. They mewl and stretch before standing at the food of their bed, just waiting. Adora chuckles, giving them a soft wave before reaching out to brush some of Catra’s hair with her fingertips. “Well, they don’t call it Dark Moon.” 

“Hilarious.” Catra opens her eyes and slowly takes in her surroundings. It was dark when they’d returned from the party, and they’d both been so tired they all but collapsed in bed. “This is your room?” she asks, sitting up a bit. Melog trots over to her side, whining for attention. Catra laughs to herself before petting their head. “How’d you end up here?”

“Someone must have let them in here. And yeah, it is.” Adora grabs a pillow and shoves it under her lower back so she can sit more comfortably. “Your room now, too. What do you think?” 

Catra finishes petting Melog and shrugs, mussing up her hair so it doesn’t lay flat on her head. “It’s fine, I guess.”

Adora can read her displeasure like an open book. She smiles and takes Catra’s hand. “You don’t have to like it. I didn’t like it at first, either.”

“It’s not that I don’t like it. Everything is just… really pink.” 

“So pink,” Adora agrees. “But we won’t be here for long.”

“When are we leaving?”

“I don’t know. Guess it depends on Bow and Glimmer.” Adora shifts so that she’s leaning back against her pillow. Later on, she’ll coordinate a meeting with everyone and figure out some sort of plan. Should they go to Krytis, first? Or scope out the remnants of Horde Prime’s ship? It’s all up in the air, but Adora doesn’t mind the uncertainty. “I’m not in any real rush.”

Catra nods. She understands that. After years of being apart and fighting, spending time with Adora is a something she can’t wait to indulge in. “Me neither.” 

Adora opens her arms and Catra nestles into them without a moment’s hesitation. Before, the action would have been muddled with feelings of uncertainty and doubt. Not anymore. It doesn’t take long for Catra to start purring, and it only grows louder once Adora scratches at the fur behind her ear. 

“Now what?” Catra murmurs into Adora’s arm. 

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean… war’s over. You just saved the planet. Shouldn’t you be running all over the place doing She-Ra things?”

Adora laughs a little bit. “Probably.” Catra’s hair is soft between her fingers. Has it always been this soft? She can’t remember.

Catra raises a brow, tilting her head up to look at Adora. “People might be wondering where you are. Something tells me that it’s not like you to lay in bed all morning.”

“For someone who’s been repeatedly asking me to stay, you sure seem to be in a rush to kick me out of bed,” Adora teases with a grin. 

“Shut up, you know what I mean.”

“Yeah.” Adora pulls Catra closer, allowing herself the simple luxury of burying her face in Catra’s hair. “I do.”

* * *

The morning moonlight tickles Adora’s eyes. It peeks out from the crack in the drapes, casting bright rays of purple light in the bedroom. She wasn’t woken up by the light, though.

“Stop,” Adora groans, giving her girlfriend a light shove so she’ll cease trailing kisses down her neck. “It’s too early.”

Catra does not stop. She continues to kiss her until Adora finally opens her eyes, and even then gives her one more kiss for good measure. “It’s almost noon, dummy. You missed breakfast.” 

“Catra,” Adora sighs, groaning again before making herself more comfortable. “You were supposed to wake me up hours ago.” 

The feline shrugs. Even though She-Ra isn’t exactly needed anymore, Adora still puts herself out in the rebuilding efforts. Every day she works herself to the point of exhaustion, often not sleeping until late into the evening. It’s typical Adora behavior, so it really isn’t all that surprising. “I thought I’d let you sleep,” Catra says, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. “You seemed tired yesterday.” 

“So, you completely disregarded what I asked?”

“I even bribed Bow and Glimmer to take Melog for the night so they wouldn’t wake you up. So, I believe the words you’re looking for are  _ thank you _ .” Catra’s tail swishes as she straddles her girlfriend, shooting her a smirk. “And you’re welcome, by the way.” 

Adora rolls her eyes, but rests a hand on Catra’s waist, bringing her closer. “I had things I needed to do.”

“Do them later.”

“And breakfast?” Adora whines, making a face when her stomach grumbles. “I don’t function without food, you know that.”

“Relax, I already got it covered.” Catra nods to the dresser. “Brought you back a plate.” 

“Did you get tiny scones?” 

“Yes.”

“The chocolate ones, not the apri—”

“Adora, yes,” Catra laughs and runs her fingers through Adora’s rumpled blonde tresses. The gesture works its magic and renders her girlfriend much more relaxed; just like it always does. “I know which kind you like. I’d be a pretty bad girlfriend if I didn’t know by now.” 

Adora blinks, her eyes growing wide. “Girlfriend?”

“Isn’t that what we are? You’ve been saying it for weeks.”

“No, I know.” Adora sits up a bit in bed so she can better look at Catra. “It’s just the first time  _ you _ said it, that’s all.” 

A smirk flashes across Catra’s lips. “That’s so sweet. You’re keeping track.”

“You know what, yeah, I am. It’s about time you said it.” Adora shoves her playfully, grinning at her little yelp. This only sparks a round of ‘war’, where the two grab at each other and fight for dominance. It’s weird, but it’s them. The round at present ends when both of them fall to the floor with a rather loud crash, taking half of the blankets down with them. 

Catra tosses a pillow off her head, giving Adora a look. “You’re annoying when you’re grumpy, you know that?” 

“Yeah, but you love me.” Adora will never get tired of the flush that tints Catra’s cheeks. Every time she says it, the blush appears. She thought it would go away after a few weeks, but it hasn’t yet, so she intends to savor every one before they ultimately disappear.

“You’re never going to get tired of saying that, are you?” Catra’s voice is soft now, the harshness gone. It isn’t often that she’s like this, completely vulnerable and open to the girl before her. She saves it for when they’re alone. 

Adora reaches up to toy with Catra’s hair, her fingers brushing just by her ears and giving them an affectionate scratch. “Probably not,” she admits. The scratching continues until Catra is all but putty in her lap, purring and burrowing into her affectionately. 

Despite her tendency to keep herself busy and throw herself into her work, it’s these little moments that Adora cherishes the most. Alone, in their bedroom, time slows down. And for once in her life, Adora is able to stop and appreciate it. 

* * *

Catra feels the bed shift, and is awake in an instant. She immediately looks to the center of the bed, but nothing has changed. Their infant slumbers peacefully in between her and Adora, just like they were an hour ago. 

On the whole, she had no trouble adjusting to being a parent. When her and Adora found the orphaned infant Magicat, it took them no time at all to decide they wanted to adopt them. So now here they are. Parents. Exhausted, but enjoying the little moments of peace. 

“Hey.”

Catra glances over to her wife. Adora sleepily opens her eyes, confused. “I heard you startle,” she says, voice thick with sleep. “Is Finn okay?”

“Yeah. They’re fine. I felt them move and got scared.” Catra takes Finn’s tiny paw in her hand, gently stroking the fur with her thumb. The infant doesn’t acknowledge the touch; Finn continues sleeping peacefully. 

“I know what that’s like.” Adora props herself onto her side, leaning on her elbow. “Nobody told us how scary this would be.” 

Finn coughs in their sleep. Adora and Catra quickly fall silent, afraid that they’ve woken them up, but the baby resumes sleeping. The two wives exchange a look before laughing quietly. 

“Look at us,” Catra murmurs, still holding Finn’s hand. “It’s kind of ridiculous.”

“A little,” Adora agrees. “Wouldn’t change a thing, though.”

“Really? I would.” Adora raises a brow, waiting for Catra to continue. The feline jerks her head over to the dismantled crib in the corner of the room. “I wouldn’t have let Entrapta build us a freaking crib.” 

“Yeah, in retrospect, that was a really bad idea.” Adora touches Finn’s head with a small smile. “Perfuma offered to build us one. What do you think? Finn loves flowers, so I thought it would be cute.” 

Catra hums as she thinks it over. “What if Finn eats the flowers?”

“Finn won’t eat the flowers.”

“I mean, you ate the flowers at—”

“That was one time! How was I supposed to know that they weren’t edible? Who puts flowers on top of food?” Catra snaps, careful of her volume. 

The incident in question took place in the rehabilitated Fright Zone. Scorpia put together a party, and Perfuma helped with many of the smaller details. Hence, decorative flowers on various courses at dinner 

Adora leans over so she can kiss her wife. “Don’t feel too bad. You don’t even want to know how many flowers I ate by accident. Among… other, non-edible things.”

Catra is appeased by the kiss. When Adora finishes speaking, she kisses her again and takes her hand as they lay back down. The two of them look down at their child, both smiling, neither of them able to believe that this is their reality. 

* * *

“Mama?” A sniffle, followed by a shaky breath. “Mom?” 

Adora opens her eyes first. She sees Finn standing at the foot of the bed, holding onto their shirt with trembling fists. Catra is quick to follow, immediately sitting up at the sound of their child’s voice. 

“What is it?” Catra asks, opening her arms. She’s always been better at jumping to action. Adora needs a couple of seconds to assess, but by the time Finn is wrapped in Catra’s arms, she understands. 

Adora scoots closer to Catra, gently stroking Finn’s thigh. “Did you have a nightmare?” 

Finn nods. “Spiders. Lotsa spiders. They were chasing me, Mama.”

Catra and Adora exchange a look. They certainly hadn’t been teaching Finn about spiders. So where had they gotten that from? Catra sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose before Adora can come up with the answer. “Double Trouble,” she mutters, shaking her head. Double Trouble has a penchant for telling Finn all kinds of… scary things. For the most part, Finn adores them. 

“We really should talk to them,” Adora sighs. 

“Won’t be of any use. I’ve already tried. And besides, Finn likes their stories way too much,” Catra says with a smile. She brushes some hair off Finn’s forehead and grins. “Have Mama and I ever told you about the time where we were actually chased down by a mob of killer spiders?”

Finn sniffles before wiping away their tears. “No. Was it scary?”

“So scary,” Adora agrees. “They were big.”

“How big?” Finn asks, now engrossed. 

“Humongous. Bigger than Melog, even.” Catra nods to the older alien-cat, who was lingering by the door. Upon hearing their name, they slowly pad closer, until they’re right by the bed. Finn giggles at the sight of Melog, then stretches out to pet them. “They were no match for your Mama, though. She turned into She-Ra and took them all out.”

Adora wraps her arms around both of them, leaning back so they’re all snuggled up together. Moments like these are so rare, now. Finn rarely wants to be cuddled like this. Their little independent kitten. “Don’t give me all the credit. Your Mom was right there beside me. She took down plenty of spiders herself. Or did you forget?” 

“I didn’t forget. I’m trying to make you look good, Adora. We already know that I’m the cool one.” Adora scoffs, and Finn giggles at their banter. 

“Can I sleep here with you?” Finn asks, already clasping their hands and pouting. Adora gives the same pout to Catra, as she knows what her answer is. 

Catra sighs in defeat and nuzzles her nose against Finn’s. “Fine. But if either of you kick me, you’ll both find yourselves on the floor.” 

The three of them curl up together under the blankets, just as they had when Finn was a baby. Melog anxiously mewls and paws at the blankets until Adora allows them to jump up on the mattress. Adora listens to her family purr until they all fall asleep, and only then does she allow herself to succumb to sleep as well. 


End file.
